Request Magazine, 12/94
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DANZIG
4 (American)
Leave it to Glenn Danzig: After scoring a hit single with "Mother," he
follows it with an album that scarcely resembles that song's pseudo-Satanic
heavy-metal rebellion. In fact, on 4, the usually macho bellowing singer
sounds, well, vunerable.
On "Cantspeak," Danzig croons in a soft voice about something that has
rendered him unable to talk or think, although we never find out what it is.
And in "Going Down to Die," he sounds defeated, resigned to his fate. It's
one of the rare moments on the album when the listener feels an emotional
connection.
Danzig the singer/songwriter and Danzig the band (which also features
guitarist John Christ, bassist Eeire Von, and now-departed drummer Chuck
Biscuits) have always challenged their listeners sonically. The biggest
challenge on this album is finding a common ground. Danzig's singing is
passionate and strong, once again recalling Jim Morrison, but his songs are
so cryptic and secretive that they come off as creepy and uninvolving.
The band certainly goes a long way toward creating a mood. The brooding
melancholy of 4 never lets up, aided by the stripped-down coproduction of
Rick Rubin. The guitar-and-vocal distortion on "Cantspeak," "Until You Call
On the Dark," and "Bringer of Death" adds a psychedelic otherworldly touch
while bringing the music back to the rawness of Danzig's garage-punk roots.
A Danzig album is always fascinating because the band sounds like no other
in hard rock today. 4, however, evokes an image of four guys playing in an
underground bunker illuminated only by candles, with Danzig huddled over a
mike spinning tales of unspeakable evil. But you're left with the feeling
that, while you may be allowed to listen at the door, they'll never let you
come in and jam with them. -Don Kaye